Energy Saving Expert's Blog

Greenest Building in the World

energysavingexpert — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:22:56 +0000

Just read an interesting article on Smart Planet titled “Greenest building in world uses no water or electricity”

It’s a pretty cool building – looks like it’s offices and residential apartments. It has solar panels all over it that provide the electricity for the building and also to power the ground source heat pump (GSHP) that is underneath. All the water that falls on the building is collected and filtered to be used inside.

I must admit, that reading it I felt like we’re not far off with our house. All of the water that falls on our roof is collected into a 5000 litre tank and is routed to the toilets, washing machine and outside taps. We’re not drinking it because I didn’t find a domestic solution that gave me comfort that it would be safe. I’m hoping to get solar panels installed which should provide enough electricity to power the GSHP and contribute to our electricity generally.

You can read the article here: http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/cities/video-greenest-building-in-world-uses-no-water-or-electricity/841

Renewable Heat Premium Payment Scheme

energysavingexpert — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 12:41:52 +0000

Today I made an application for the Renewable Heat Premium Payment Scheme. My dad suggested I looked into it, so I did. Filled in a pretty straightforward form online (see www.energysavingtrust.org.uk) answering basic info as well as GSHP details, and hey presto, I’m told I’ll be awarded £1250 as soon as my system gets commissioned!

Fingers crossed this will be any day now – the guys who installed it managed to blow up the PCB and so it’s never actually worked. Commissioning the system will be a big relief – it’s all very impressive but I want to see it working before I get too excited and also, I get my £1250 quid!

I don’t know exactly what plans are afoot for Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) payments which I believe will start next year, but I’m hoping I’ll be able to get something back from that too. That’s if the government’s spending cuts don’t get there first.

Solar Panel Prices

energysavingexpert — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 15:59:41 +0000

Installing solar panels to your home is a sustainable and eco-friendly method of generating energy. There is now a significant financial incentive to install this technology into your home as the government has introduced a Feed-in-Tarrif payment scheme allowing households to sell domestic electricity produced to national energy companies. This means homeowners can dramatically reduce or even eliminate their annual energy bill and in some cases, earn money on top of this.
The tarriffs only currently apply to photovoltaic solar panel modules which work by trapping the sun’s energy and then converting this into electricty. There is a large amount of inforamtion available about pv module prices and how to install these systems.

Money saved, money lost

energysavingexpert — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 08:36:42 +0000

Good news arrived – apparently the wall at the back which had been quoted for a rebuild is actually of a pretty solid construction with deep, wide brick foundations. The good news was quickly followed by bad news. The guttering which had been quoted for partial replacement is actually no good and all needs replacing.

Work starts!

energysavingexpert — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 08:21:37 +0000

It’s been a long time coming, but finally the work started on 5 October. Scaffolding has now gone up, barriers erected and the overgrown garden chopped back. Angharad’s treasure, the magnolia tree has been chopped down (alas no choice there!). Tiles are being removed. Exciting times.

Scaffolding up!

“…no house should need oil for heating, and no driver should need to turn solely to gasoline.”

energysavingexpert — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 09:09:42 +0000

So said Mona Sahlin, the Swedish Minister for Sustainable Development. This was a quote from 2006, a time when 26% of their electricity demands came from renewable sources, and their plans were to free themselves from a reliance on fossil fuels entirely by 2020. And it seems they’re still on track. They’ve identified the huge advantages that Sweden will have over other nations when oil prices start to rise out of control and this is driving their strategy. Makes good sense to me. A massive avoidable economic bust in the UK is looming and our government won’t doing anything till it’s too late. Sound familiar?

We Have a Start Date!

energysavingexpert — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 08:24:12 +0000

Almost 10 months after purchasing the property, we have been given a start date by our recently chosen builders – October 5th. On this date the scaffolding will be erected, with work on the roof starting soon after. It’s a fantastic milestone – it means the design has been completed, planning permission attained, building regs passed, builders chosen, bats pacified. Looking through all that’s been done, it doesn’t seem too long. Here’s to the first brick going down!

How to put a spin on Renewable Energy

energysavingexpert — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 08:31:09 +0000

It’s a funny thing about news. The Energy Saving Trust publishes an entirely factual, non-biased report showing the results of their study of 83 air-source and ground-source heat pumps. Thereafter follows a series of articles in all kinds of papers ranging from: 1) See, Heat Pump renewable technology is a load of old tosh, we told you so, to 2) See, Heat Pump renewable technology works very effectively and we must pursue it with vigour.

The truth is of course plain to see in the original publication, but wouldn’t it be boring to summarise it as follows:

Heat Pump Renewable Technology is very effective and a worthwhile investment but it must be installed correctly for purpose to get the best results. The biggest efficiency improvement is found when replacing oil or LPG

Not going to sell many papers am I?

GSHP Consumer Checklist

energysavingexpert — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:42:44 +0000

The Energy Saving Trust, at the end of its recent report which followed a study of 83 Ground Source, and Air Source heat pumps provided a list of consumer guidelines – something I’ve been looking for, for a long time. The trouble with everything else I’ve read is that it comes from a source with a vested interest. Here’s the list:

When you should consider a heat pump

In a well-insulated existing property off the gas network. Heat pumps have the potential to reduce running costs compared with oil, direct electric, LPG, or coal, and can provide substantial carbon savings over the lifetime of the installation.
In new-build properties

How to get the best performance from a heat pump

Make sure that your home is as well insulated as possible (with. cavity and loft insulation) before installing a heat pump.
Install the heat pump with low temperature under- floor heating or properly sized radiators.
Insist upon understandable, user-friendly controls.

What to expect from a heat pump

Since heat pumps provide a lower temperature heating than boilers, radiators will feel warm rather than hot.
A house with radiators may heat up more slowly.
The heat pump will run for longer hours than a conventional boiler, but if properly controlled it will switch on and off with the heating requirements of the house.
A properly sized and installed heat pump should be able to provide all of a household’s domestic hot water, but many systems are installed with a supplemental electric immersion heater.

What to expect from a heat pump installer
Potential customers need to ask the right questions when choosing a heat pump, as with any other heating technology. Proper installation is essential to achieve the best performance from a heat pump.

Ask the installer to explain how he or she has determined the appropriate type and size of heat pump for your property. The installer should explain how the heat demand of your property was calculated.
Make sure the installer explains how the heat pump will work with your existing heating system (including radiators and hot water supply).
Ask for guidance to operate the heat pump system controls.
Ask how often you should run the heat pump.

Finally, the Energy Saving Trust recommends that householders speak to one of our advisors before installing a heat pump. Additionally, customers should speak to MCS accredited installers and manufacturers to determine whether a heat pump is a viable option.

How do Ground Source Heat Pumps really perform?

energysavingexpert — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 08:17:55 +0000

The Energy Saving Trust (EST) today published it’s long-awaited report which studied the performance of 83 GSHP and ASHP systems in the UK over at least 12 months. Here is the report.

The EST is an impartial body so we can be pretty sure that their results are presented without ulterior motive. Some of the key findings include:

There was a wide variation in the performance values
Air Source Heat Pumps (mid range COP = 2.2) give only slightly worse performance that Ground Source Heat Pumps (mid range COP = 2.3)
The householders reported good levels of satisfaction with their systems
The heat pumps reduced energy bills, particularly when replacing oil or LPG
The more simple installations performed better
A major cause of poor COP is inappropriate installation in terms of lifestyle and property as well as poor training for users in how to manage the system.
The best performing GSHPs had a COP of 3.2 (4 out of 54, or 7%)

Interesting snippet: “a heat pump installed in 2010 produces 9% less carbon dioxide than an average gas boiler and 28% less than an average oil boiler do per unit of heat. The potential for carbon savings will increase in future under the UK Government’s plan to decarbonise the electricity grid”.